"Exceptionally high-temperature heatwaves and unexpected storms are already commonplace news. Also, the health and economic consequences are increasing enormously, as defined in the EU Climate Adaptation Strategy. Hence the ambition level of the measures to adapt to climate change must be raised. Working together is key to achieve more. The EU must encourage forerunner measures, and we need new societal innovations. Municipalities and regions must draw up their own Green Deal Going Local action plans focusing on cooperation with companies and resident activities. The instruments provided by the EU, including funding, must be harnessed to step up the action with local public and private funding. The new carbon handprint solutions produced by companies – products, systems, and services that accelerate sustainable development – are crucial." Markku Markkula, Chair of the Espoo City Board and President of the Helsinki Region made these remarks when presenting his opinion on 'Climate adaptation: Forging a climate-resilient Europe - the new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change' during the plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR).
The opinion calls for demand-based policies, market incentives, carbon footprints and handprints in public procurement criteria and to accelerate cooperation with academia and businesses to boost broad-scale innovation, sustainable products, services and nature-based solutions. Despite net greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 estimated to drop 35% below 1990 levels, the economic rebound from the COVID-19 risks bringing emissions back up. Around 40% of EU cities with more than 150 000 inhabitants have adopted climate adaptation plans.
During his presentation, the rapporteur said: "We must start by reducing red tape and simplifying access to EU funding and end direct and indirect subsidies to fossil fuels like the existing tax exemptions for aircraft-fuel. We also need solid market-based incentives to develop new carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction technologies and ensure an effective CO2 pricing system including a carbon border adjustment mechanism to eliminate carbon leakage and protect our businesses against anti-competitive practices."
On the financial front, welcomes the new commitment from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to raising the share of finance dedicated to climate action by 2025, the development of the Climate Bank Roadmap and the EIB Climate Risk Assessment system (CRA).
Maria Spyraki, Member of the European Parliament from the EPP Group said ''Tackling climate change means reducing GHG emissions as fast as possible. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, warming the planet eighty-six times as much as CO2 over a 20-year period before decaying to CO2. More than half of global methane emissions stem from human activity in three sectors: fossil fuels (35%), waste (20%), and agriculture (40%). It is critical to establish a global regulatory framework and to develop methods with importing and partner countries to align efforts and to secure a UN based pathway on methane in 2021.This is why it is of paramount importance to negotiate a principal agreement on methane emissions in the next COP 26 meeting in Glasgow.''
Markku Markkula, former CoR President, calls on local and regional authorities to use public procurement to accelerate demand for innovative and sustainable products and services, to implement nature-based adaptation solutions as to green urban areas and to protect and restore forests' carbon capture capacity.
In the opinion the rapporteur calls on the European Commission to strongly recommend to Member States to involve subnational governments in drafting national climate adaptation strategies, to include regional breakdowns and to support the development of regional and local climate adaptation plans.
A rapid implementation of the planned Horizon Europe Missions, including the two climate-focused missions, "a climate-resilient Europe" and "100 climate-neutral cities by 2030" are essential. The CoR underlines its commitment to deliver on the Joint Action Plan, signed in November 2020 with Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, and is ready to cooperate with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) to organise research and learning activities under the 'Science Meets Regions' headline. Partnership contracts between the EU and the demonstrating cities and regions in Smart City and Climate Adaptation Missions are of vital importance.
On digitalisation, data, and space, he highlights the importance of using preventive systematic and comprehensive information systems such as Galileo and Copernicus to anticipate climate-related risks and encourages local and regional authorities to use the Copernicus Climate Change Services (C3S).
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Climate change is having wide-ranging impacts on ecosystems, economic sectors, human health and well-being in Europe. From 1980 to 2016, the total reported economic losses caused by weather and other climate-related extremes in Europe amounted to over EUR 436 billion, according to the European Commission.
Despite net greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 being estimated to drop to 30 to 35% below 1990 levels, the economic rebound from the COVID-19 crisis is also estimated to bring emissions back to previous levels, unless additional action is taken In 2019, EU emissions, including removals, were down by an estimated 25% compared to 1990, while over the same period the economy has grown by 62%. This proves that we can tackle climate change and ensure sustained economic growth and job creation at the same time (EC).
Next Generation EU and the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027 have a combined weight of over 1.8 trillion euros and provide significant firepower to help deliver the twin green and digital transitions that Europe aspires to (European Commission. Stepping up Europe’s 2030 climate ambition Investing in a climate-neutral future for the benefit of our people COM (2020) 562 final).
Around 40% of EU cities with more than 150 000 inhabitants have adopted climate adaptation plans (EC).
In November 2020, the CoR rapporteur on climate adaptation, Markku Markkula, urged the European Commission to develop a more ambitious EU Adaptation Strategy in line with the principles of active subsidiarity and proportionality, recognising the crucial role that cities and regions play in climate adaptation and providing them with the tools necessary to develop territory-based solutions.
The CoR is committed to contribute to accelerating the transition towards climate-neutrality with its initiative Green Deal Going Local.
Markku Markkula is member of the CoR's Green Deal Going Local working group.